Bank of Valletta is supporting the 8th Edition of Festival Mediterranea. The Festival was launched by Teatru Astra in Gozo during a press conference held at the BOV Centre in Santa Venera and addressed by Igino Xuereb, Chief Officer Operations at Bank of Valletta, Dr Joseph Grech, President of the Socjetà Flarmonika La Stella and Teatru Astra, and Prof Mro Joseph Vella, the Festival Mediterranea’s music director.

Festival Mediterranea is an annual festival of culture, featuring opera, music, dance, history and archaeology, local crafts, food and wine, and art. This year’s edition will take place between October, the 23rd and November the 21st.

Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto takes pride of place in this year’s programme of events, with a double representation at the Teatru Astra – on Thursday, the 29th and on Saturday, the 31st October. Both shows start at 7.30pm.

The full cast has long been concluded and includes international artists of repute who are returning to the Teatru Astra. The National Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Prof Mro Joseph Vella, while the Teatru Astra Opera Chorus is being trained by Dr Maria Frendo. Italian Artistic Director Mario Corradi is once again being engaged for this production, following his successful staging of Macbeth (Astra, 2007) and Turandot (Astra, 2008). Following both opera nights, a late-night Dinner with the Stars is again being held, with opera patrons being invited to a feast of Mediterranean food and wine.

Other events include tours around St George’s Basilica in Victoria, home to fine art works including Mattia Preti, as well as on-site lectures by leading UK archaeologist and scholar Dr David Trump to sites of particular historical and archaeological importance in both Malta – the Hypogeum in Hal Saflieni, the Archaeology Museum in Valletta, and the Mgarr and Skorba temples – and in Gozo – the Ggantija temples, Ghejzu’s cave and the Xaghra Stone Circle, and the Archaeology Museum at the Citadel.

Dr David Trump is once again leading a half-day conference, ‘Conservation: Nature and Archaeology’ which will include the participation of primary local experts. He will also be delivering a lecture entitled ‘An Archaeologist seeks Religion’. Entrance to both is free of charge and open to the public.

Festival Mediterranea also prominently features other music events. These include a Recital on a late 18th century British Pipe Organ, a trio lunchtime concert, an all-female ensemble, an all-male choral lunchtime recital, a vocal recital, a piano recital, band soloists, a full-philharmonic band concert, and a choral recital.

Booking for any of the events can be done through the Teatru Astra or any one of its outlets in Malta and Gozo (see press pack for details). In addition, for the first time, Teatru Astra and Bank of Valletta are proud to announce an online booking facility through the Festival website.

Addressing the Press Conference, Mr Xuereb said that Bank of Valletta has believed in the concept of Festival Mediterranea and has supported all the editions since the first one in 2002. “Bank of Valletta is a strong supporter of artistic and cultural initiatives and we are proud to be associated with an event that has provided high calibre productions for most of the last decade”.

Speaking about the programme of events, Dr Grech explained that Festival Mediterranea originated from a desire to export local love for opera and the often disproportionate sense of national pride locals are known for, for all that makes us unique – be it history, culture and lifestyle. At the same time, Festival Mediterranea can be an added tool for the tourism industry to attract more tourists in the less popular tourism season.

Prof Mro Vella spoke about the high quality artists being engaged for this year’s Rigoletto as well as that of local and foreign musicians and singers participating in the remaining events.

Festival Mediterranea is organised by the Teatru Astra in Gozo. Bank of Valletta partners the project, as do the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta, Heritage Malta and Vodafone Malta.

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